A Federal Crack-up, Ctd

For the political system to do something as difficult as deficit reduction requires a consequence as unthinkable as default. So this, then, is another example of what happens when Congress can’t agree to act: Those in Congress who want action — and they are of both parties — manufacture crises in order to force it. It’s not that things don’t get done so much as that they get done in the most dangerous, insane and reckless way. And if that fails and they don’t get done, they trigger awful, unimaginable crises.

Raghuram Rajan blames the electorate. Greg Sargent looks at how our political dysfunction is sinking the super-committee. Earlier hand-wringing here.